Hair protecting headband



Aug. 13, 1940. VARELL 2,211,184

HAIR PROTECTING HEADBAND Filed Sept. 9, 1938 INVENTOR A NNA 0. M4 REL L ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 13, 1940 UNITED STATES 2,2ll,ltt

PATENT oFricE 2 Claims.

The invention relates to a protective hair covering device, and more particularly to a band made of. a strip of flexible water-resistant sheet material of particular configuration adapting it to be placed about the head to form a completely closed circular band enveloping the hair throughout the head of the wearer except that at the crown of the head.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a headband which is adapted to be placed upon the head, primarily by women just prior to washing the face, neck and ears, or before applying any cleansing preparation, such as a cream or lotion to the face. It is well recognized that fastidious women particularly, in making preparations for the carrying out of such cleansing operations, both in the beauty shop and at home, take particular precautions to protect the hair, whether already coiiiured or not, by placing some protective means about the head, for instance, a towel. Women, particularly with long hair, find this means of keeping the hair from getting wet, especially troublesome. The present invention is designed to provide a device to aiTord this protection by means of a protective covering which is easily applied, may be readily removed, and will retain the hair in exactly the position in which it was before the application of the protective covering thereto.

The device, in its broadest aspects, comprises a headband made of a strip of flexible, waterresistant, sheet material constituting an envelope for the head of the wearer so as to form a completely closed circular band enclosing all of the hair except that at the crown of the head. The longitudinal edges of. such strip of material are folded over in the course of the fabrication of the headband, such folded-over portions enclosing an elastic cord by means of which the strip of sheet material along such edges is gath cred so as to have the headband conform substantially to the contour of the head of the wearer when applied thereto. The elastic cords enveloped by the thus formed selvage edges of theband are so disposed that when the band is applied to the head in a position to extend across "the wearers brow in the front and across the nape of the neck at the rear, the band constitutes a complete circular enclosure for that portion of. the head of the wearer so as to prevent "the hair from getting wet when washing the face, neck and ears. Cleansing creams, cleansing tissue and other cleansing appurtenances may be applied by the wearer without fear of disarrangemerit of the coifiure or of contact by water, cream or lotion f any portion of the face or head other than that desired.

Particular embodiments of my inventive structure are illustrated in the accompanying draw ing,fi'n whichFig. 1-is aside view of my novel hair protecting headband in position upon the head of the wearer; Fig. 2 is a front face View of the band of one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig.

4 is a rear View of a band in position upon thehead of the wearer showing a modified form of the device; Fig. 5 is a side view similar to Fig. l of a still further modified form of my inventive structure; and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-4 of Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, is a sheet of flexible, water-resistant, sheet material such as the cellulose material marketed under the trade mark Pliofilm. This material is water-proof and crack-proof, i. e. is highly flexible without evidencing any deterioration upon repeated manipulation thereof as by bending parts of the sheet material back and forth. The strip 6 is of a width substantially equal to the length of a curve from approximately the median line of the forehead to about two inches removed from the mid-point of the crown of the head.

In the simplest embodiment of my invention, illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, such a strip of sheet material 9 forms a band having a circular aperture formed by one of the longitudinal edges of the strip, of' greater diameter than an aperture formed by the opposite longitudinal edge of the strip. The band is formed by folding over the longitudinal edges 1 and 8 of. the strip so as to constitute a selvage, an elastic cord, in its fully extended condition, being laid into the selvage, the edges being sewn down with stitching 9 and I0 passing through the folded-over edges and the body of'the strip so as to enfold in the selvage the elastic cords It. The constriction of the elastic cords, when the tension thereon has been released, causes a rufiling or gathering of the sheet material of the flexible strip.

The band constituted of. the strip of material is completed by means of a line of stitching joining the meeting edges of the strip, so that the headband is constituted of a head-encircling body of Pliofilm having the folded-over edges 7 and 8 united to the body of the strip 6 by stitching 9 and 10' with the elastic cords H and 4-2, respectively, disposed within the selvage formed by the folded-over longitudinal edges.

In applying the embodiment of my headband illustrated in-Figs. l and 2 to the head, the wearer need only insert her two hands, with the palms extended, into the interior of the band, draw the hands apart so as to place the elastic edges of the band under tension, and then place the band over the head so as to have the lower elastic edge thereof in position extending across the brow'in the front and across the nape of the neck in the rear. The band will thus serve as a complete envelope for all of. the hair except that at the crown of the head, and will protect the hair from water, grease, cream, lotion, etc.

The embodiment of my novel headband illustrated in Fig. l is substantially like that of the first embodiment described, but differs therefrom in being formed with an opening extending transversely of. the band. In such embodiment, near one end of the strip which is to constitute the headband, there is applied, for instance, by stitching 3, a reinforcing strip 54 to which are secured by any suitable means, for instance, loops i5, l5, constituted of the same material as the strip, couplings such as hooks IE. Such hooks are adapted to engage an elastic cord ll extending along the opposite end of the strip and secured near its edges, as well as near the middle of such end portion of the strip, within an infolded reinforcing strip !8, the reinforcing strip being stitched to the body of the strip by stitching [9.

In applying this embodiment of my novel inventive structure to the head, the band is placed about the head so as to envelope the hair except that at the crown of the head, and the hooks l6 engaged in the exposed portions of the elastic cord ll. The head band will thus be positioned about the head substantially as the first embodiment thereof, illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Figs. 5 and 6, I have illustrated a still further modified form of my novel head band to which has been applied any appropriate design. Such design is produced by laying upon the strip of flexible, water-resistant, sheet material 6, strips of the same type of material of the configuration of the desired design, for instance, of the configuration of leaves or flowers. These strips All are caused to adhere to the base strip 6 by means of an adhesive or more preferably by merely applying a slight amount of heat and pressure to the superimposed strip and the base strip so as to cause a welding of the two layers together by such heat and pressure. Of course any design, for instance in combinations of a variety of colors, may thus be imparted to the band.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art, that my novel head band may be made of any water-proof or water-resistant material, such as oil silk, and that while I have indicated a particular use to which the head band may be put, it is obvious that it may be used as a protective covering for hair at other times, for instance as in donning and doifing, or trying on gowns, particularly when the hair has been once arranged in the desired coiffure.

It will be noted that in the construction of my novel head band, I include the elastic cords along the longitudinal edges of the'strip of flexible sheet material constituting the body of the band, in completely enclosed selvage edges. Thus the elastic cord is safeguarded from the effects of water or other deteriorating agency so that the elastic will last longer. It will also be noted that the elastic cord is laid into the enfolding longitudinal edges in stretched condition so as to form the rufiies or gathering of the strip material constituting the band.

From the above description it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that an important feature of my novel construction of hair protecting headband, giving it a marked advantage over the closed type of cap, is the provision of the band in such form as to leave the crown of the head open. This construction, in its application to the head, permits the free circulation of air to and within the band when in position upon the head, thereby precluding the possibility of heat collecting upon the hair encompassed by the band, forming, for instance, by condensation, a sufiicient amount of moisture to wilt the curls. The structure, therefore, has the marked advantage of protecting the curls encompassed by the band.

While I have described specific embodiments of my invention, it is obvious that various changes therein may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from my invention.

I claim:

1. A hair protecting headband of the size and configuration approximating that of the human head, comprising a strip of flexible water-resistant, cellulose sheet material encompassing the head of the wearer, the longitudinal edges of which are folded over, an elastic cord positioned within each of such folded-over edges of said strip, the strip near such edges being gathered by said elastic cords to form a completely closed circular band having a bottom opening of substantially the size and configuration to permit the band to be placed upon the head of the wearer and to be retained thereon with the edge of the band forming such opening extending across the Wearers brow and across the nape of the neck,

and a top opening of substantially the size and configuration to encircle the head of the wearer near the crown of the head and to have the material surrounding said opening retained thereon, whereby the band envelops all of the hair of the wearer except that at the crown of the head, the band having sufficient flexibility, body material, and elasticity to have all portions thereof yieldable to accommodate such protuberances and uneven surfaces of hair as may be encircled thereby, irrespective of the particular coiifure in which the hair of the wearer is styled.

2. A hair protecting headband, comprising a strip of flexible water-resistant, cellulose sheet material, the longitudinal edges of which are folded over, an elastic cord positioned within each of such folded-over edges of said strip, the strip near such edges being gathered by said elastic cords to form a completely closed circular band having a bottom opening of substantially the size and configuration to permit the band to be placed upon the head of the wearer with the edge of the band forming such opening extending across the wearers brow and across the nape of the neck, and a top opening of substantially the size and configuration to encircle the head of the wearer near the crown of the head, whereby the band envelops all of the hair ofthe wearer except that at the crown of the head, the band having sufficient flexibility, body material, and elasticity to have all portions thereof yieldable to accommodate such protuberances and uneven surfaces of hair as may be encircled thereby, irrespective of the particular coiifure in which the hair of the wearer is styled, said hair protecting headband, having a reinforcing strip of the same material as the body of the band spaced from and along one end of the band, an elastic cord secured partly within said reinforced edge and free at other parts thereof, a reinforcing strip spaced from and extending along the opposite end of the body of the band, and a pair of fastening elements secured to the said second reinforcing strip for cooperative engagement with said elastic cord.

ANNA D. VARELL. 

